Update - blogs, emerging, and conference

I have taken a break from blogging (both writing and commenting on other blogs). I don’t have very much to say that isn’t already being said by others. My favourite daily blog is Andrew Jones. Andrew’s writings mainly concern the emerging church and his life as a missional Christian creating community in a post-modern world.

Not long ago I finished reading Emerging Churches by Blogger and Gibbs. I was inspired by much of what I read. The authors provide an unbiased look at current church planting done by missional Christians in a post-modern world. There were many light-bulb moments as I realized more what the kingdom of God, as preached by Christ, could look like here on earth. I began to feel more at peace with things I had been thinking about lately concerning church, and more at peace about my recent move from the charismatic seeker model of church.

In this, I have been challenged much more in many life areas. I am learning to about a holistic approach to worship (encompassing every action, every word, every thought, every relationship). God wants our lives 24/7. We can’t hide from God although we can sometimes hide from ourselves. Our lives should genuinely reflect a Christian journey and not simply a church script.

I am going to a book launch breakfast this week for Michael Duncan. In 1985 he and his wife, Ruby, with their two children relocated to the Philippines and moved into the very heart of a third world squatter community. For many years they lived and worked among the poor. Michael soon became the Team Leader of the work in Manila. Their concern was to bring about holistic transformational development and this necessitated being fully engaged in relief work, community development, social justice, evangelism and church planting. In 1994 the Duncans returned to New Zealand and since then Michael has continued to be involved in urban work both in Australia (Melbourne) and New Zealand (Auckland). He has been a Senior Pastor of churches in both of those cities.

Since 1976 Michael has also been a speaker in many countries of the world. His own personal testimony, his involvement amongst the very poor of the world and his gifts in communication has taken him to many different groups and places as a communicator. By way of example, last year whilst in Fiji he was invited to speak to the elite group of soldiers imprisoned in Suva who were caught up in the recent coup in that country. And then just recently he had the privilege of speaking to over 100 Hindu students, many of them lepers, whilst in India. And then, very recently, he had the opportunity to speak at a special memorial service In Australia for some of the victims over the Bali tragedy in Indonesia. Michael is often asked to speak to youth conferences, churches and mission gatherings.

I also plan to go to the Forge intensive being held in Perth this July. Forge intensives are times of inspirational story telling, radical creative dreaming and vigorous conversation as together we seek to re-imagine how the gospel can penetrate and transform our communities! If you want to find out more about these seminars, please contact Andrew Hamilton at mailto:mhamo@brightontown.com.au re: Forge Intensives.